RAJKOT: India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first against England in the third Test in Rajkot on Thursday. This match also marks England skipper Ben Stokes’ 100th Test appearance. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” remarked the 32-year-old at the toss.
India made four changes to their lineup, introducing Test debutants Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, alongside the return of Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja. Virat Kohli is sidelined for the entire series, while KL Rahul is injured. Following England’s victory in the opener and India’s win in the second Test, the series stands level at 1-1.
India vs England
England’s lineup sees the return of pace bowler Mark Wood in place of spinner Shoaib Bashir. Stokes, playing as a batsman after recovering from knee surgery, boasts 6,251 runs and 197 wickets since his Test debut in 2013.
Additionally, the match could witness significant milestones as India’s Ravichandran Ashwin aims for his 500th Test wicket and England’s James Anderson eyes his 700th victim. The teams’ lineups are as follows:
